Cabinet.



H. DIETZ.

CABINET.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 5| 1915.

Patented Apr. 4, 1916.

OO :l OO

CABINET.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 1i, 1ere.

Application led April 5, 1915. Serial No. 19,297.

To all whom z't ma, concer/n.:

Be it known t at I, HERBERT Dim'rz, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Cincinnati, in the` county of Hamilton and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Im rovements in Cabinets, of which the following is a specification.

Myinvention relates to typewriter cabi-I nets; and its object is to support the typewriter or other machine in position for use or to inclose it when not in use, especially in the pedestal of a desk.

My invention consists of a mechanism to raise, lower and move back a typewriter machine for a pedestal of a desk. That mechanism consists of four bell cranks, con-- nected by levers and cross bars, operated by springs as is more fully described by drawin s and specifications.

he drawing is a longitudinal vertical section of a desk pedestal having therein a device embodyingmy invention. i

As herein shown, the desk pedestal comprises a body or case 1, a at top 2 and legs 3 supporting the case 1 a considerable distance above the floor. The front of the case 1 may be closed by means of a door 4 which slides horizontally -backward under the top 2 on rear and front rollers 5' and 6 and has a hook 7 which passes the rear roller 5 and which engagesl with the front roller 6 when the top 4 is pulled horizontally forward, whereupon the roller 6 becomes a pivot, all lowing the door 4 to drop down and close the front of the case 1, this door being similar to those heretofore used in cabinets.

For supporting the typewriter or other machine, a bed 8 is mounted on a bed frame 9 horizontally in the case 1 some distance below the top 2, being slidable horizontally inwardly and outwardly, or rearwardly and forwardly, on this bed frame 9, by means of suitable slides 10 working in conjunction with guides 11 on the bed frame 9, there being rollers 12 on the slides 10, and there being relative motion between the slides 10 and bed 8, respectively, said guides 11 being xed to the bed frame 9. This slidable mounting of the bed 8 is similar to mountings heretofore used.

The machine being supported upon the bed 8, it is necessary for the bed frame 9 with the bed 8 and its mountings to descend before the bed 8 can slide inwardly of the case 1 with the machine thereon. It is the mounting of the bed frame 9 and bed 8, to

` vertical plane forwardly and rearwar y of the cabinet. The free end of each long arm 13 is pivoted to the side of the bed frame 9 at such a location therealong that when the bed frame 9l is in its uppermost position each of these arms 13 inclines forwardly of the cabinet, while the short arm 14 of each bell crank lever is so positioned relative to the arm 13 with which it is integral that this short arm 14 inclines \rearwardly of the cabinet in the above described position of the bed frame 9, its angle of inclination to the horizontal referably being considerably less than t at of the long arm 13. It will be understood, however, that the angle of inclination of each of these arms with respect to the other, or of either of them with respect to the horizontal position of the bed frame 9, may be varied with the limits imposed by the principle of operation of the device, which will be more fully described.

The free end of each short arm 14 is pivoted to a bar 16, this bar lying horizontal and extending backward some distance from its pivotal connection with the short arm 14 of the rear bell crank lever, and the two bars 16 at opposite sides of the cabinet being joined by a horizontal cross bar 17 fixed to the rear end parts of these bars 16. At each side, near the bar 16, a helical tension sprin 18 has one end connected to this cross bar 1 and extends downwardly and rearwardly, and has its other end connected to an eye bolt 19 which extends down through the bottom of the body or case 1 close to the back thereof and has a thumb nut 20 screwed upon it up against the bottom of the case. Thus, any desired tension may be imposed upon the tension spring 18 to cause it to resist upward movement of the cross bar 17 and the bar 16, and consequently upward movement of free ends of the short arms 14 of the bell crank levers.

I lNear the middle ofthe cross bar 17 a smaller helical tension spring 21 has one of its flexible4 connection with the cross barA 1.7, hang down from its connection 23 and will exert `no-inliuence upon the mechanism; but the larger springs 18 at the sides will be pulling downward upon the rear or short arms 14 of the bell crank levers almost at right angles to the radial direction of said arms, and thus, through the forward or longer arms 13, will be pushing upward upon the bed frame 9 in maximum degree, to automatically complete the raising opera# tion, and Vthen adequately support the bed 8 and the machine or other object upon the bed, in upward position.

This automatic completion of the raising operation obviates backward pushing on the bed frame at this time; and to make this support in the upward position positive, I prefer'to mount suitable catches 24 on the inside of the case under the front, which will automatically engage with strikes 25. mounted near the 'sides of the bed 8 as thebed 8 is automatically brought upward in its forwardlyvxtended position. The bed 8 extends bac ard into the case 1 a short distance when in this position, and the rear end parts of its sides engage upwardly with blocks 26, fixed on the inner sides of the holdthis inner end of the bed 8 down firmly against its mountings on the bed frame, and

prevent undue upward and downward shak- 1n or vibration of the bed 8, so that it forms a rm support for the machine or other object. At the same time, the bed 8 may be shoved backward, andthe 'catch 24 will disengage from the keeper 25 due to a beveling of the .forward end 27 of the keeper 25. This backward movement of the bed 8 along the bed frame 9 when in this raised position will be stopped by the engagement of the keeper 25 with the block 26, and further backward and downward pressure on the bed 8 will result in a lowering of the bed and bed frame 9. In this lowering of the bed and bed frame, the long arms 13 of the bell crank levers swing downwardly and then under their fulcrums in the brackets 15, and inwardly and backwardly, iding the bed frame 9 downwardly andu inwardly close to the bottom of the case 1 until the bed frame 9 strikes blocks 28 fixed on the inner sides of the case 1 near its bottom and pushed backward and inward, traveling on its slides 10 and guides 11 as hereinbefore described. When this downward and inward movement of the long arms 13 of the bell crank 'levers occurs, the short arms 14 of these levers are of course moved upwardly and forwardly and then downwardly and forwardly, raising the bars 16 and bringing them forwardly and downwardly, and drawing the cross' bar 17, fixed to these bars 16,

forwardly against the tensionl ofthe small Vtension spring 21 which,` with its flexiblev connection, is then stretched ina straight line from the connection 23 to the cross bar 17 'in its forward position. During this operation, the springs 18 have been brought nearly parallel with the arms 14, sol that the movement of the bar 16 and cross bars 17 is resisted in decreasing degree from the initial to the final lowering exertion. Thus, it will be seen that the large spiral springs 18 tend to support the bed frame 9 and bed 8 in raised posltion as before described, and to forcibly resist-.lowering them during the initial-exertion; but during the latter-part of this exertion they decrease their resistance to the lowering; and when these parts are lowered the weight of the supported object tends to hold them in lowered position.

It will be seen that, while the parts are in lowered position the small tension spring'21 will be tending to pull the cross bars 17 and bars 16 backward and upward, which would of course result in raising the bed frame 9, bed 8- and the machine or other object mounted thereon. This smaller tension spring 21 may be provided of such strength that it will not readily overcome the weight of the supporting parts and of the machine or other object supported, but will materially assist the operator when the parts are to be raised andthe raising action of the springs 18 on these parts is at its minimum.

Having fully Adescribed my invention, what I claim as new anddesire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In. a cabinet, in combination with a casing, a bed frame, a bed slidable on said bed frame inwardly and outwardly of the casing, bell-crank levers fulcrumed inside of said casing with arms connected to said bed frame and, extending upwardly and forwardly to hold the bed frame in raised position, and extending downwardly and for- 'near its rear end. After this, the bed 8 is wardly to hold said bed frame in lowered position, 'and each having its other arm exftending rearwardly and upwardly, or forwardly and upwardly, respectively, accordingly as the bed frame is in raised or lowered position, yieldable means connected to said other arms of said bell cranks to assist raising of sald supporting means in in-v creasing degree from initial to final raising exetion thereon, to obviate backward pushin on said bed during the completion of the raising operation, and means flexibly connected tothe mountin of said supporting means tending to raise said vsup orting means from its, lowered position, ut its iexible connection becoming slack` and.

rendering said flexibly connected means inoperative while the supporting means is in its raised position.

2.' In a cabinet, in combination with a casing, a supporting means to be raised and lowered in said casing, bell-crank levers fulcrumed inside,l of said casing with arms which, when the supporting means is in raised. position, extend upwardly 4and forwardly and are pivotally connected to said supporting means, and, when the supporting osition, extend downwardly and forwa'r ly by virtue of said pivotal connection, and each having its other arm extending rearwardly and upwardly,

Vor forwardly and upwardly, respectively,

accordingly as the supporting means is in raised or lowered position, a bar pivotally connected to said other arms and extending backward, and a tension spring. connected to said bar and extending downwardly :at a substantial angle to said arms when they extend rearwardly and upwardly, and connected to the bottom of the casing, whereby sa1d spring resists exertion to lower saidI supporting means in decreasing degree from initial to final lowering exertion thereon.

3. In a cabinet, in combination with a casing, a supporting means to be` raised and lowered in said casing, bell-cranklevers fulcrumed inside of said casing with arms `which, when the supporting means is in raised position, extend upwardly and forwardly and are pivotally yconnected to said supporting means, and, when the supporting means is in lowered position, extend downwardly and forwardly by virtue of said pivotal connection, and each having its other arm extending rearwardly and upwardly, or forwardly and upwardly, respectively, accordingly as the supporting means is in raised or lowered position, a bar pivotally connected to said other arms and extending backward, a tension spring connected to said bar and extending downwardly at a substantial angle to said arms when they extend' rearwardly and upwardly, and connected vto the bottom of the casing, whereby said spring resists exertion to lower said supporting means in decreasing degree from initial to final lowering exertion thereon, another spring connected to the back of said casing, and a flexible connection from this other spring to said bar, whereby this other spring and said flexible connection are stretched when the supporting means is in lowered position, and whereby this spring tends to raise the supporting means from this lowv creasing degree from initial to final exertion ered position, but whereby, when the supporting means is in its raised position, said flexible connection is slack and this spring exerts no influence upon said supporting means.

4. In a cabinetjin combination with a casing, a supporting means to be raised and lowered in said casing, forward bell-crank levers each fulcrumed at one side of the casing, rearward bell-crank levers eachfulcrumed at one side' ofthe casing, each of said bell-crank levers, when the supporting means is in raised position having one armv forwardly and upwardly inclined and pivotally connected to said supporting means, and forwardly and downwardly inclined by virtue of its pivotal connection with said supporting means whenv the supporting means is in lowered position, and each bellcrank lever having its other arm rearwardly and upwardly inclined or forwardly and upwardly inclined, accordingly as the supporting means is in raised or lowered position, bars at opposite sides of the casing, each con nected to the last mentioned arms of the bellcrank levers at the respective sides of the casing and each extending backward from its pivotal 'connection with the arm of the rear bell-crank lever, a cross bar extending across the casing and -iixed to the rear end parts of said bars, tension springs at opposite sides of the casing, each having its upper end connected to said cross bar and each extending downwardly at a substantial angle to said arms when theyextendV upwardly and rearwardly, and having its lower end 'connected to the bottom of the casing near the rear, whereby these springs resist exertion to lower said supporting means in dethereon. v

5. In a cabinet, in combination with a casing, a supporting means to be raised and loweredin said casing, forward bell-crank levers each fulcrumed at one side of the casing, rearward bell-crank levers each fulcrumed at one side of the casing, each of said bell-crank levers, when the supporting means is in raised position having one arm forwardly and upwardly inclined and pivotally connected to said supporting means, and forwardly and downwardly inclined by virtue of its pivotal connection with said supporting means when the supportmg means is in lowered position, and each bellcrank lever having its other arm rearwardly and upwardly inclined or forwardly and upwardly inclined, accordingly as the supporting means is in raised or lowered position, bars at opposite sides of the casing, each connected to the last mentioned arms of the bell-crank levers at the respective sides of the casing and each extending backward from its pivotal connection with the arm of the rear bell-crank lever, a cross bar extend- 130 ing across the casing and .fixed to the rear end parts of said bars, tension springs at opposite sides of the casing, each having its upper end connected to said cross bar' and each extending downwardly at a' substantial angle to said arms when they extend upwardly and rearwardly, and having its lower end connected to the bottom of the casing near the rear, whereby these springs resist exertion to lower said supporting means in decreasing degree from initial to final exertion thereon, a tension spring connected to the rear of the casing slightly above the center line of the pivotal connectionsof said arms with said bars when the sufpporting means is in raised position, and a exible connection from said tension spring to said cross bar, whereby when the support ing means is in lowered position, this spring and this flexible connection are stretched and the spring Atends .to raise said supporting means,'but, when the supporting means is in raised position, this iexible connection is slack, and said spring exerts no iniuence'upon said supporting means` HERBERT DIETZ.

Witnesses:

' JAMES N. RAMSEY, f

CLARENCE PERDEW. 

